Car end reinforcement.



R. G. ELLIS.

CAR END REINFORCEMENT.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 4,1915.

Patented Dec. 19, 1916.

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CAR END REINFORCEMENT.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 4, 1915. 1,208,935. Patented Dec. 19,1916.

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' To all whom it may concern:

ROBERT G. ELLIS, OF UNIVERSITY CITY, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN OAR AND FOUNDRY COMPANY, OF ST. LOU'IS, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

can En'n REINFORCEMENT.

reoaess.

' Application filed December 4, 1915. Serial No. 65,020.

Be it known that I, ROBERT G. ELLIS, a citizen of the United States, residing at University City, St. Louis county, State of Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Car End Reinforce ments, of which the following is a full, clear,

and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,

forming part of this specification.

This invention relates to specific improvements in a constructlon for the reinforcement of the end Walls of railway cars, the

same being designed to give added strength to the end walls of a car. for the purpose of resisting thrusts such as would be imparted thereto by shifting of heavy lading in'the car.

This invention in some respects is an improvement on the construction illustrated in U. S. Letters Patent No. 802,689, granted October 2 1905, to Henrion and McRobbie, and is designed to eifectually remedy essential weaknesses inherent in structures now in use for thesame purpose.

It is a practice more or less familiar to car builders to reinforce the :end Walls of box cars by vertical stiffening members in the form of angleirons applied exteriorly of the car and secured in various fashions to transverse end framing members and end posts. Such reinforcements,of course, op.- erate to some extent to, strengthen the end against cargo thrusts, but practice has demonstrated that the all important consideration in the use of such reinforcements is the provision of stable connections between the vertical. reinforcing members and the major framing members of the car.

The principal object of my invention, therefore, is to provide a construction designed to-be applied to the ends of box cars to effect reinforcement thereof, said strucv Specificationof Letters Patent.

Patented nee. re, rare.

In the drawings wherein one embodiment *of my invention is illustrated, Figure 1 represents an end elevation of a car body equipped with my improved reinforcing construction. Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken substantially on line 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a section taken approximately on line 33 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4.- is a detall being a section substantially on line 4-4 of Fig. l, with lining and floor portions removed. Fig. 5 is a detail taken substantially on line 55 of Fig. 1, but showing a modified form.

Fig. 6 is a detail showing a vertical section through the striking plate and end sill.

The car illustrated in these drawings is of common construction with inside framing, and includes longitudinal sills 1, end sill 2, corner posts 4, end posts 5, side plates 6, end plate 7, together with the customary floor, wall and roof structure. Belt rails 8 extending intermediate the posts provide intermediate attaching places for wall sheathing 9 which is secured in the customary fashion at its upper and lower extremities to the end plate and end sill. All of these members enter into the construction of the ordinary car. It is observed in practice, however, that a car having endsconstructed in this fashion is subject to breakage from cargo thrusts, and it is the purpose of my invention to provide means for so reinforcing and bracing this structure as to enable it to withstand stresses which otherwise would injure it to the extent that repairs would be necessary before the car could be used.

My improved reinforcing construction is designed particularly for use on cars which may be already in service, and thus it is constructed with the idea of facilitating its adaptation and installation on cars already built and which may pairs.

It is my aim by means of the construction now to be described to provide rigid exterior reinforcing or strengthening members extending across the end wall, and

be submitted for re- -means whereby said reinforcing members may be securely anchored to the ma'or members of the car framing, particu arly the end sill, side plates, end plate and end posts.

To-this purpose, I provide on the exterior of the wall sheathing a connecting plate 10 extending from the bottom of the end sill to a point several inches above the same. The length of this plate is suficient to extend between the medial end posts 5, and the striking block 11 is applied to the outer face of the plate 10, the'block and the plate being secured to the end frame by through bolts 12. Above the striking block lateral tions of the underframe in the customary fashion. Asshown in Fig. 6 the striking casting has rearwardly extending flanges 3 which are riveted to the ends of the longitudinal sill reinforcing members 13, which are applied to the under sides of theiwooden longitudinal sills 1, extending from end to end of the car, and forming a supplemen-' tary underframe, or underframe reinforcement; These beams are secured to the longitudinal sills by bolts 13*.

As will be observed particularly in Figs. 2 and 3, I apply'to theend plate 7 a connecting member 16 in the form of an angle beam extending beyond the medial end posts, one flange of which is adapted to lie flat against the inner face of the end plate, and the other flange of which extends horizontally rearwardly from the end plate. At a considerable distance from the corner of the car, I apply to the side plates connecting members 17 in the form of angles each having one flange abutted against the inner face of the side plate and secured thereto by U bolts 18, the ends of which extend on the outside of the side wall sheathing and pass through washer plates 19, against which the nuts are turned up. Diagonal braces 20 are each connected at one end to the horizontal flange of the connecting member 16 and at the other end-to the horizontal flange of a connecting plate 17..

On the exterior of the end sheathing are lateral plates 25 overlap the inward flanges of the 2 members 21, and together with said flanges are bolted to the end posts 5 by U bolts 26. Z-shaped angle irons 27 are applied to the end sill at the end posts, one arm thereof depending at the rear face of the end sill to receive the through bolt12, and the other arm thereof extending up the inner side of the end post to receive the U bolt 26.

At their upper extremities, the reinforcing 2' members 21 are bolted through the end plate to the vertical flange of the connection member 16 by U bolts 28, angles 29 being applied to the end plate 7 below the necessary bolt holes. The angles 27 are fitted and then the reinforcing members 21 with the plates 10 and 25 riveted thereto are applied and bolted into place, the brace construction comprising the connector member 16, angles 29, diagonal braces 20 and connection angles 17, all of which are riveted together, are then placed in position and secured by the U bolts to the side plates and the reinforcing members 21. It will be observed that the U bolts 28 engage both flanges of the 2 members 21 thereby providing rigid connectionfor the latter at their upper extremities which will tend to prevent their rocking loose, the connection by means of the flanges 10 at their lower ends contributing security in the same manner.

In Fig. 5 is shown a modified form of connection at the lower extremity wherein three-sided angle members 30 are used as corner connections between the plate 10, the webs of the Z bars 21 and the extended upper flange of the striking block 11.

It will be observed from the foregoing description that this reinforcing structure may be easily and economically applied to box cars without requiring alteration in the customary construction thereof. Furthermore, in this reinforcing construction, by means of the plate and boltconnections at the lower ends of the reinforcing members 21 I secure a very strong and stable connection with the end sill; through the truss ,rods 14 with other portions of the underframe and through the striking casting with thesupplementary or reinforcing underframe members. At the upper extremities of the reinforcing members ll secure a very strong connection with the side plates. By virtue of these features, the reinforcing members are themselves supported directly from major framing members of the car and hence are enabled to perform more effectively their function as reinforcements for the end vw all structure.

I am aware that various changes, adaptations and modifications not herein illustrated and described may be made in the structure without departing from the scope of the invention as indicated in the following claims. 5 1

What I claim is:

1. In a railway car having an end sill,

end posts, and an end plate, flanged reinforcing members disposed over the end posts and secured thereto and at their upper ends to the end plate, a plate secured to the reinforcing members at their lower ends, lateral plates overlapping the flanges of the rein-' forcing members at their lower ends, a striking. plate applied over the lower portions of said plate and said lateral plates, and, means connecting said plate, striking plate and lateral plates to the end sill.

2. In a railway car having-an end sill, an end reinforcement including Z bars extending vertically upward from the end sill, a plate connecting the lower ends of said 2 bars, lateral plates connected to said 2 bars respectively,'.a striking plate applied to said forcing members at their lower extremities,

, other plates connected to said reinforcing '-members respectively, a striking plate applied overall of said plates, and connecting members passing through said 'plates and securing the striking plate to the underframe.

4. An end reinforcement for railway cars including vertically disposed 2 bars, a flanged plate having lateral portions riveted to the webs of the Z'ba-rs to connect them, separate plates applied to the flanges of the respective Z bars, and a striking plate having connection with all of said plates below the lower extremities of the Z bars.

5: In a railway car havingan end plate, end wall reinforcing members .in the form of 2 bars extending downwardly from the end plate and means engaging the flanges of the z t thereof for securing the Z bars to the end plate.

6. In a railway car including an end plate and side plates, an end reinforcing construction including Z bars-extending downwardly from said end plate, angle members applied to the inner face of the end' plate, U bolts passing through the end plate and engaging the angle members and flanges of theZ bars ars on opposite sides of the webs on both sides of the webs thereof, and means connecting the angle members with the side plates. 7

7. In'a c'ar including an end sill and end posts, an end reinforcing structure comprising vertical bar members applied exteriorly over the end posts, an exterior plate connecting thelower extremities of said bar members, Z-shaped angle ironsapplied tothe inner faces of the end sill and end posts, and bolts passing through the end sill and end posts ,and engaging thegbar members and the angle irons to secure the bar members to the framing.

I 8. A reinforcing construction for railway car ends comprising a pair ofvertically disposed -bar members applied to the exterior ofthe end Wall, a transverse bar member disposed inside the end wall and connecting the vertical members at the top, means securing said bar member and the vertical members to upper longitudinal and transverse framing members of the car body, a lower transverse plate member connecting the. lower portions of the vertical bar members, and means for connecting the lower transverse member to frame.

9. A structure for reinforcing car ends comprising a pair of vertically disposed bar members applied to the exterior of the end portions of the underwall, longitudinal reinforcing members applied to the under-frame, transversely extending members connecting the vertlcal bar members at their lower extremities, and

means connecting said transverse members with the longitudinal underframe reinforcing members.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature in the presence of two Witnesses, this 2nd day of December, 1915.

ROBERT G. ELLIS.

Witnesses OSCAR HooHBERG, RODNEY "Brion-LL. 

